showcase spain issue 54

Jul 2006

Welcome to the July edition of SHOWCASE Spain, featuring some of the best visual media companies and professionals. You'll find more in our international directory at www.productionparadise.com.

It is just over a month since the Plurals concert opened the 30th Festival de Barcelona Grec. With four days still to go, the Festival has been host to 53 shows enjoyed by more than 135,000 spectators. 17 brand new productions have been offered, eight of which were theatre plays, five dance shows and four concerts. And this year, the Festival has produced 20 of the shows, the highest proportion in its history.

“Enlightened by Fire” (“Iluminados Por el Fuego”) has won the Best Fiction Film award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The film, directed by Tristán Bauer, tells the story of Esteban, who was sent to fight in the Falkland Islands War in 1982 when he was only 18. Molinare, part of the MEDIAPRO group, was responsible for the digital image post-production work for this film.

IMAGINA Media Audiovisual is the newly-created company following the merger of Grupo Árbol and Mediapro. It is the market leader in Spain in the creation and integral production of audiovisual content and one of the biggest companies in the European market. The company is responsible for the production of successful TV series (Los Serrano, Siete Vidas, etc.), films (Princesas, The Secret Life of Words, Comandante, etc.), documentaries and news, as well as coverage and distribution of major sporting events (World Cup FIFA 2006, Formula 1, etc.).

IMAGINA is present in Europe (Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Brussels and London among other cities), in the US and South America (Buenos Aires, Miami and Los Angeles); and also in the Middle East.

In the first five months of 2006, IMAGINA enjoyed very strong growth in income volume, with an increase of more than 39% compared with last year.

Tenerife Film Commission handled more than 50 productions in the first half of 2006, including a TV film, shorts, documentaries and advertising spots. This was more than double compared with last year.

The island is home to volcano Teide, and is increasingly in demand by audiovisual producers. Reasons for this increase in demand include an exceptional climate that allows outdoor filming throughout the year; tax incentives from the Special Canaries Zone (Zona Especial de Canarias, or ZEC) and the support of the regional government.

Feature film "Oscar, El Color del Destino" is slated for filming on the island this year, starring Joachim de Almeida and Victoria Abril, and directed by Lucas Fernández. Also, "El Vuelo del Guirre", by the Teodoro brothers and Santiago Ríos, authors of Guarapo.

Tenerife landscapes include beaches, mountains and woodland. The island is little more than two hours from Spanish mainland and around four hours from the main European capitals.

The electric Golf Cart, with 9 hour power charge, top speed of 25 km/h and a capacity of up to four persons, is ideal for filming people walking, skating or on bicycle.

The six-wheel Quad is used for faster-moving situations, for example, following motorcycles or cars, or for high-speed off-road situations.

Both these vehicles can be equipped with metallic platforms and special anchoring for holding cameras. And they are available alongside other Motor Option BCN products, including the large Camera Car and the new High Speed Tracking Vehicle.

Rent City Apartments in Barcelona has an exclusive penthouse with terrace, pool and beach views.

This exclusive, brand-new, sunny 150 m2 apartment looks over the city beach and is surrounded by a large park, in one of Barcelona's newest emblematic buildings in Diagonal Mar.

Every room overlooks the city/sea and connects to a 80 m2 private terrace, accessible throughout the whole apartment with views from the 22nd floor.

Rent City Apartments offer stylish apartments to rent for business and for pleasurea as well as luxury villas that are ideal for filming and photo shoots. They offer a high quality, adaptable service and specialise in meeting the needs of production crews.

Special rates and services for Photo, Film, and Commercial production crews.